By Adrianne Lorenzo Corpuz

Mariano Marcos State University welcomed today an official delegation from Shandong Province, China, led by Vice Governor Deng Yunfeng, The group conducted a series of meetings, campus tours, and field visits at MMSU to strengthen international collaboration. The MMSU stop is part of the two-day official visit of the Shandong provincial delegation to Ilocos Norte.

Vice Governor Yunfeng was joined by Cai Xianjin, director-general of the Provincial Foreign Affairs Office; Meng Xiangdong, director-general of the Provincial Promotion of International Trade Council, Zhang Zhigang, deputy director-general of the Provincial Education Department; Wang Chunseng, Level 1 Counsel; Dr. Zhao Changlin, president of Dezhou University (DZU); Dr. Li Xiangdong, president of the Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences (SAAS), and sixteen other officials and staff members. They were received by MMSU President Shirley C. Agrupis in the Batac Campus this morning. 

Mr. Yunfeng expressed delight for the opportunity to explore engagements with MMSU. He said university collaborations bring more meaning to the sisterhood of Ilocos Norte and Shandong. 

The officials, particularly from SAAS and DU, met with MMSU officials in simultaneous discussions at the CFL. They discussed the details of the Shandong-Ilocos Norte Joint Work Plan, which was signed yesterday afternoon at the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte Capitol. It entails programs on trade and business, culture and arts, language enrichment scholarship, and agricultural cooperation.

President Xiangdong expressed SAAS’ commitment to knowledge, practice and technological exchange for the success of joint endeavors. Also, President Changlin said DU is duty-bound to explore more innovative ways to maximize resources for the fulfillment of collaborative goals.

For her part, President Agrupis committed MMSU’s resources, especially its human capital, to advancing academic and research collaborations. “Today’s fruitful discussions will surely strengthen our collaborative efforts for the mutual benefit of our respective communities,” she said.  

After the meetings, the university officials unveiled the MMSU-SAAS Maize Joint Research and Development Center; and the MMSU-DU International Joint Laboratory for Smart Agriculture.

The group also had a tour around the Ferdinand E. Marcos Hall, Rice Paddy Art, Science and Technology Park, National Bioenergy Research and Innovation Center, and at experimental farms.

The activities were an offshoot of a memorandum of understanding signed between the heads of the three universities on May 15 this year. Yesterday, the officials also met at the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte Capitol to sign the Joint Workplan.

In May, President Agrupis and Prof. Luvee Hazel C. Aquino, university and board secretary, joined the Ilocos Norte delegation, led by Governor Matthew Marcos Manotoc, in an official visit to the provinces of Shandong and Guangdong, to strengthen collaboration in trade, agriculture, education, and culture and tourism.

In September this year, five faculty members of MMSU were hosted by Shandong Province for academic exchanges and meetings in DZU and SAAS, as well as conferences in the cities of Jinan and Qufu. The delegation was composed of Dr. Doreen Domingo, dean of the Graduate School; Dr. Sharona Barroga, dean of the College of Engineering; Prof. Herdy L. Yumul, director of the Office for Strategic Communication; Dr. Ryan Samuel Ramos of the College of Industrial Technology; and Ms. Rica Jane Natividad of the College of Teacher Education.

 
Over the years, the provincial sisterhood between Shandong and Ilocos Norte has resulted in increased cooperation, particularly in widening the people-to-people and education exchange base. (HLY/JVBT, StratCom)